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Originally weekly markets were held on
Thursdays and Saturdays. The Saturday market was held in Princess Street
(formerly known as Nether Westgate); you can still see the remains of the Old
Market Cross (also known as Butter Cross) near to Princess Street, at Low
Conduit Street.
Newborough Street was the Thursday market
where pots, glass, earthenware and much more were sold, with stalls occupying
both sides of the street down to St Helen's Square.
| The apple market
was held in King Street, the beast market in Queen Street, the pig market
in front of the theatre in Tanner Street, and the meat market in St
Helen's Square in the Old Shambles.
In 1852 Royal assent was given to the Scarborough
Public Market Act which allowed plans to be made to build the present day
Market Hall in St Helen's Square. The Old Shambles which were made
up of butchers stalls, slaughterhouses, tallow and bone yards, were
cleared to make way for this building. |
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A company known as the
Scarborough Public Market Company was set up to oversee the provision of
the covered hall with enough space to accommodate the various outdoor
markets under one roof.
Mr John Irvin, the Borough Surveyor of the time,
designed and prepared the plans for the building, with the architecture
being in a Tuscan style with a Whitby stone facade.
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| Masonry and brickwork was executed by Mr
John Shaftoe of York; iron roof and castings by Messrs. Hawks, Crawshaw
and Sons of Gateshead; joinery by Mr John Whitfield of York and plumbing
and glazing by Mr Ambrose Gibson of Scarborough.
The main hall is 151 feet long, 111 feet wide and 43
feet high to the tie beams, and originally the cost of building was
£7,000 and £9,000 was spent on the site and approach roads.
| In August of 1853 the Market Hall
was opened with great pomp and ceremony, and meant the removal of
the busy congestion, with the "opening of a large and well
ventilated area in the heart of the town". |
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In the early 1900's housewives of Scarborough would
visit the Market stalls every Thursday to purchase fresh farm butter and
eggs from farmers' wives, who also sold flowers, curds, honey, fruits and
vegetables to make some "pin money".
MARKET VAULTS
The basement of the Market Hall was originally used
as a bonded warehouse. Records show that in the late 1800s Henry
Welburn & Co used the bonded warehouse - his original business being
as a wine and spirit merchant, as well as groceries, provisions and
"Italian goods of first rate quality".
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In 1993 the old bonding warehouse
was converted into stalls now known as Market Vaults and offers
units to a variety of traders, such as antiques, art, yoga, etc. |
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